The world’s largest database of social change milestones from throughout human history
We are building the world’s largest database of social change milestones, from the first fire to today’s good news. Change is not only possible, it has happened consistently throughout human history.
Filter by era, country, topic, actor, source, and more. Submit your own milestones!
3899
social change milestones archived
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Era
- Agriculture (10000 - 3000 B.C.E.)
- Civilization (3000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.)
- Modernity (1500 - 1945 C.E.)
- Post-classical (500 - 1500 C.E.)
- Post-modernity (1945 - 2016 C.E.)
- Prehistory (250000 - 10000 B.C.E.)
- Today (2017 C.E. - ???)
Year
Topics
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Institution
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Search
Era
- Agriculture (10000 - 3000 B.C.E.)
- Civilization (3000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.)
- Modernity (1500 - 1945 C.E.)
- Post-classical (500 - 1500 C.E.)
- Post-modernity (1945 - 2016 C.E.)
- Prehistory (250000 - 10000 B.C.E.)
- Today (2017 C.E. - ???)
Year
Topics
Region
Countries
State/Province
Institution
Sources
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2022 C.E.$500 million divestment from fossil fuel companies announced by global faith institutions
The thirty-five institutions include Anglican, Baptist, Buddhist, Catholic, and Quaker organizations and represent over $1.2 billion in combined assets.
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2022 C.E. July 28New study offers hope that pill can cut hereditary cancer risk by 60 percent
Published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, the double-blind longitudinal study followed nearly 1,000 patients with Lynch Syndrome, an inherited genetic condition that increases the individual risk of several cancers, for almost 20 years.
-
2022 C.E. July 28Indigenous Shuar community in Ecuador wins decades-long battle to protect land
Ecuador’s National System of Protected Areas now includes the 13,583-acre ancestral Tiwi Nunka Forest in the country’s south.
-
2022 C.E. July 28Adopt-a-Forest climate project in Kenya pays locals to keep trees alive until they mature
The program was started to address the lack of after-care, a major flaw in many forest-planting projects in Kenya and beyond.
-
2022 C.E. July 27New sensor detects Alzheimer’s up to 17 years in advance
The Bochum researchers hope that an early diagnosis based on the amyloid-beta misfolding could help to apply Alzheimer's drugs at such an early stage that they have a significantly better effect.
-
2022 C.E. July 27The Ocean Cleanup removes first 100,000kg of plastic from Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Since deployment in August 2021, System 002 (or “Jenny”) has now collected 101,353 kg of plastic over 45 extractions, sweeping an area of over 3000km2 – comparable to the size of Rhode Island.
-
2022 C.E. July 27U.S. to plant 1 billion trees as climate change kills forests
The Forest Service plans over the next couple years to scale up work from about 60,000 acres replanted last year to about 400,000 acres annually.
-
2022 C.E. July 26Swiss scientists invent system that produces jet fuel from carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight
The amount of CO2 emitted during kerosene combustion in a jet engine equals that consumed during its production in the solar plant.
-
2022 C.E. July 26Andorra becomes the 33rd country with marriage equality
The tiny nation's new law also creates a system for transgender people to update the name and gender marker on legal documents without providing proof of medical care.
-
2022 C.E. July 26Greece bans genital surgery on non-consenting intersex babies
The surgeries are often unnecessary for the health of the child and are performed so that adults feel better about how the child’s genitalia look, even though the child often cannot consent to the procedures.
-
2022 C.E.$500 million divestment from fossil fuel companies announced by global faith institutions
The thirty-five institutions include Anglican, Baptist, Buddhist, Catholic, and Quaker organizations and represent over $1.2 billion in combined assets.
-
2022 C.E. July 28New study offers hope that pill can cut hereditary cancer risk by 60 percent
Published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, the double-blind longitudinal study followed nearly 1,000 patients with Lynch Syndrome, an inherited genetic condition that increases the individual risk of several cancers, for almost 20 years.
-
2022 C.E. July 28Indigenous Shuar community in Ecuador wins decades-long battle to protect land
Ecuador’s National System of Protected Areas now includes the 13,583-acre ancestral Tiwi Nunka Forest in the country’s south.
-
2022 C.E. July 28Adopt-a-Forest climate project in Kenya pays locals to keep trees alive until they mature
The program was started to address the lack of after-care, a major flaw in many forest-planting projects in Kenya and beyond.
-
2022 C.E. July 27New sensor detects Alzheimer’s up to 17 years in advance
The Bochum researchers hope that an early diagnosis based on the amyloid-beta misfolding could help to apply Alzheimer's drugs at such an early stage that they have a significantly better effect.
-
2022 C.E. July 27The Ocean Cleanup removes first 100,000kg of plastic from Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Since deployment in August 2021, System 002 (or “Jenny”) has now collected 101,353 kg of plastic over 45 extractions, sweeping an area of over 3000km2 – comparable to the size of Rhode Island.
-
2022 C.E. July 27U.S. to plant 1 billion trees as climate change kills forests
The Forest Service plans over the next couple years to scale up work from about 60,000 acres replanted last year to about 400,000 acres annually.
-
2022 C.E. July 26Swiss scientists invent system that produces jet fuel from carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight
The amount of CO2 emitted during kerosene combustion in a jet engine equals that consumed during its production in the solar plant.
-
2022 C.E. July 26Andorra becomes the 33rd country with marriage equality
The tiny nation's new law also creates a system for transgender people to update the name and gender marker on legal documents without providing proof of medical care.
-
2022 C.E. July 26Greece bans genital surgery on non-consenting intersex babies
The surgeries are often unnecessary for the health of the child and are performed so that adults feel better about how the child’s genitalia look, even though the child often cannot consent to the procedures.
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Submit a Milestone
Did we miss a social change milestone? What social progress have you seen around the world that I should include? Let us know!
NOTE: We cannot guarantee we will post all stories submitted here. We only post stories that represent milestones in human development (as opposed to “feel good” stories). We want something that would make sense to put on a timeline of human progress. For example, a story like “Random customer leaves a huge tip” isn’t a great fit. “Country X passes economic inequality reform bill” is a great fit.